Last spring, the arts and crafts store Michaels had a sale on large level three canvases so purchased a few. I’ve never painted on such large canvases before so I was excited about the experience. For whatever reason in my mind, I didn’t think there would be much of a difference working on a large surface. I don’t know why I thought this.

I didn’t realize the quantity of paint that these canvas would require or the lifting involved in the type of art I was doing. It took some getting use too and a lot more energy than I expected.

Like usual I had no plans what so ever in what I would paint. I just grabbed up some buckets of paint and painted. And here’s a couple of things I learned when painting on a large canvas.

1. It’s a good idea to have a plan. Why? Because when you are working on a large scale you want to make sure you have enough supplies and more important paint! This is probably obvious to most people but not so much to me. I thought my brush were large enough, nope, you need really big brushes. I underestimated drying times since I was using interior hours paint and acrylic. And I didn’t prep anything, which leads me to the next point.

2. Pre-mix your paints. This is something I’m doing more of because normally I just throw some paint on a palette and go for it. Mixing my paint beforehand requires patience and that cuts into my creative work flow time. When it flows I like to just let it flow. However when working on a large scale this didn’t work for me. So lesson learned.

I really enjoyed how everything came out. Have you ever worked with large canvases? If so leave me a comment on your experience or tips I could add to my list. Thanks!

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